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5.
Johan Svanström,
President, Hotels.com
2
Until fairly recently, Russian
citizens would take their
holidays almost exclusively
within the Eastern bloc and
were banned from travelling
further afield. How the world
has changed. Now the
Russian outbound market
is one of the world’s fastest
growing markets with huge,
relatively underdeveloped
potential.
This is the first Hotels.com
Russian International Travel
Monitor and it takes a look
as this phenomenon from
the perspective of hoteliers
around the world, to see how
they are reacting to a rapidly
changing tourism scene
and to show how they can
benefit most from this new
opportunity. We surveyed
hoteliers around the world
from Argentina to Uzbekistan
representing all star ratings
to collect their views on this
topic and these form the
basis of this report.
®
We found that Russian
international travellers are
becoming more confident
and independent, particularly
as their spending power
increases. According to
Euromonitor International,
by 2017, nearly 40 per cent of
Russians will have an annual
income of US$25,000. As
the middle class grows, their
language skills are improving
and they are increasingly
comfortable with trying out
local experiences and new
destinations. The majority
are already booking their
travel online, generally within
a month of travel, and they
would prefer more help with
Russian language materials
and speakers on arrival at
their chosen hotel.
Tourist boards are already
flexing their muscles to
tap into this new market
– 2013 is Russia-Holland
Friendship Year and also
the Year of Italy Tourism in
Russia, to name but a few
of the marketing initiatives
underway. Governments are
jumping on the bandwagon
by relaxing visa requirements
or streamlining application
processes – for instance,
Jamaica and Fiji have both
become visa-free for Russian
travellers this year while
Germany and Spain have
cut the time it takes for
visas to be issued. Airlines
are adding new routes, with
the low-cost market on the
increase as Wizz Air enters
the Russian market, although
airport infrastructure issues
are currently limiting faster
expansion in the short-term.
Hoteliers are generally
responding well, with many
already adapting their
services and products to
make Russian travellers feel
more welcome, recognising
that growth is for the longterm. Comments from the
hoteliers are positive, with
many acknowledging that
Russians make polite and
friendly guests.
We hope you enjoy reading
the report and welcome your
feedback. We look forward to
hearing from you.

6.
1. Market overview
3
Sleeping giant
According to the European
Travel Commission,
35.7 million tourists from
Russia took a foreign trip in
2012, up from just 7.7 million
in 2006. The country has
become a top performing
growth market for many
destinations and international
outbound travel is forecast to
grow by 7.5 per cent per year
on average to 2017.
Powered by political stability,
rising average annual
incomes and a growing
middle class, spending
abroad has also increased,
with overseas travellers from
Russia seeing an increase
in spending of 32 per cent
in 2012 to US$43 billion. This
moved the country from
seventh to fifth place in
the ranking of international
tourism spend, as tracked
by the United Nations
World Tourism Organisation
(UNWTO).
Many Russians still do
not have an international
passport. However, with a
population of more than
140 million, there is still a
huge untapped market for
foreign travel that will create
demand for different types of
holiday and new destinations
that are bound to make an
impact on the pattern of
world tourism.
International hoteliers
already have considerable
experience of this
development with 49 per
cent seeing an increase
in the number of Russian
travellers at their properties.
Of these, 32 per cent
experienced an 11-25 per cent
increase and 14 per cent an
impressive 26-50 per cent
rise. Ninety-two per cent
expect to see this growth
continue over the next
three years.
Percentage of growth in the number of Russian travellers, as reported by hoteliers

8.
Santa Maria della Salute - Venice, Italy
5
Infrastructure issues
hamper growth
Russia is a complex country,
the largest in the world by
landmass, covering nine
different time zones with the
two world cities of Moscow
(Population: 11.5 million) and
St Petersburg (Population:
4.8 million) plus 13 other
major cities with a population
of more than a million. More
than 70 per cent of the
population lives in an urban
areai. Most international
flights currently operate
from Moscow, with only a
limited number elsewhere,
and much of the population
travels on holiday by train.
Infrastructure improvements
in the country, such as the
modernisation of the airports
to eliminate current capacity
limits, will help relieve this
issue in the longer term.
Compared to other countries,
the number of international
low-cost air carriers (LCCs)
is still quite low as legal
restrictions are currently in
force governing items such
as the provision of nonrefundable tickets, meals
on board and baggage fees.
However, this is likely to
change in 2014 as the stateowned carrier Aeroflot has
announced plans to launch
its own LCC called Dobrolet,
once these restrictions are
liftedii.
New routes are being added
by scheduled and charter
operators such as Wizz Air
from Moscow to Budapest,
hoping also to introduce
flights to the Hungarian
capital from St Petersburg.
Transaero Airlines now has
the right to operate seven
scheduled flights a week
from Moscow to Antalya and
Istanbul in Turkey and Aigle
Azure launched Moscow-Nice
service four times a week
in May 2013.
i Source: World Bank
ii Source: http://www.aeroflot.ru/cms/en/
new/33423, retrieved 29th October 2013

9.
2. Visa requirements
for Russian travellers
Another major trend fanning
the flames of the desire to
travel is the simplification in
the visa process offered by a
growing number of countries
which have recognised
the value of attracting
an increasing number of
Russian travellers to bolster
their own tourist industries.
Many countries already offer
visa-free access for Russian
travellers, particularly in Latin
America including Brazil and
Argentina. More information
of the initiatives to attract
more Russian custom can
be found on page 19.
Visa requirements for Russian travellers
6
Russia
Countries that Russians can enter with national and international passports
Visa free or visa issued upon arrival (only international passports are allowed)
Visa upon arrival (or on the boundary). A visa fee is charged. In some countries.
Pre-registration online or photos for a visa are needed
Countries where apart from paying the visa fee additional documents are required (for example, in Africa certificates of vaccination against yellow fever), invitations or special rules apply for the visa on arrival
Countries where Russians are allowed to pass the border control in transit or to leave
an airport area for a while
Countries of the Schengen zone, as well as other countries, permitting stay with a visa
Countries where visa regime will soon be cancelled or will be substantially simplified
Other countries that require a visa upon arrival
Origianal data: Tournet.ru, Source: http://ru.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Визовые_требования_для_граждан_России

10.
3. The Russian Traveller
7
With an average 40 days,
Russians have more paid
and public holidays than
most other countries globally.
Popular travel times for travel
abroad include the winter
break from 31st December to
9th January and 1st to
9th May period. There is
a long summer break as
schools are on holiday from
1st June until 1st September.
August is traditionally the
most popular time for family
holidays.
Neighbouring countries to
Russia currently attract the
highest number of visitors
but this is changing as
Russian travellers become
more self-assured. Fortythree per cent of hoteliers
commented on the fact that
Russians are now spending
more money on their travels,
25 per cent remarked that
they are showing much
more confidence and 24 per
cent said they are now much
better at speaking the local
language or English as an
alternative.
Reason for travel
Hoteliers said that 62 per
cent of their Russian guests
travel for leisure, 18 per cent
on business and 20 per cent
a combination of the two.
Length of stay
Reflecting the fact that
many enjoy sightseeing on
their trips, Russian travellers
typically make relatively
short stays, with 50 per cent
stopping for 2-3 nights, 34 per
cent taking a longer 4-9 night
break and seven per cent
choosing 10 nights or more.
Travelling companions
A spouse or partner is by far
the most popular companion
when taking a trip abroad,
with 32 per cent choosing
this option, followed by 19 per
cent travelling with friends.
Only seven per cent journey
alone.
Hoteliers also acknowledged
that they had seen a more
than 20 per cent rise in
each of the categories of
travelling with a spouse or
partner, travelling with friends
and travelling with family
members.

11.
Average length of stay for Russian travellers
8
Most popular travelling companions for Russian travellers

12.
Empire State Building - New York, USA
9
Booking habits
Despite a relatively low
internet penetration rate of
47.7 per centiii, there are still
68 million online users in
Russia. According to
hoteliers, well over half of
travellers (61 per cent)
book their travel online with
53 per cent choosing an
online accommodation
provider, using either a
website or mobile app.
Another sign of the growing
confidence amongst this
travel group is that fact that
only 31 per cent rely on a
traditional travel agent.
iii Source: Internet World Stats
How Russian travellers book their accommodation

13.
Looking at Hotels.com’s own
data, Russian travellers are
last-minute bookers with
three per cent booking on the
day itself, 22 per cent within
the final week before travel,
and another 12 per cent from
eight to 14 days, with a total
62 per cent booking 35 days
or less before travel. Just
11 per cent prefer to secure
their accommodation more
than 90 days in advance.
Russian travellers’ booking window
10
Santorini - Cyclades Islands, Greece

14.
Most popular activities
When asked what were the
main activities that Russian
guests enquired about
during their stay, hoteliers
report that sightseeing
and shopping are the two
top priorities, followed by
dining and visiting beaches.
Gambling received the
lowest number of votes.
As the pastime has been
banned across much of
Russia since 2009, many
wealthy Russians have to
travel abroad to gamble
legally.
Main activities enquired about when visiting a hotel
11

16.
4. Hotel hotspots
for Russian travellers
The RITM found that most
Russian travellers make good
use of the hotel’s amenities
with food and beverages top
of their spending list.
More than half the hoteliers
surveyed said that Russians
spent the most money in the
restaurant and the bar during
their stay, with Wi-Fi and the
minibar also proving popular.
The least productive
facilities, as far as Russian
guests were concerned,
were the gym and in-room
entertainment.
The hotel services where Russian guests spent most money, according to hoteliers
13
Tips for top service
enhancements
This section looks at the
hotel services and facilities
most requested by Russian
travellers and tracks the
response of hoteliers to meet
those requirements.
Free Wi-Fi received by far
the highest percentage
of requests (79 per cent)
but hoteliers have already
recognised and reacted
to this desire with 77 per
cent already offering it and
another six per cent planning
on introducing it in the next
12 months.
Russian language materials
were also a priority in terms
of Russian TV programmes
(50 per cent), in-house
Russian-speaking staff
(39 per cent), translated
guides (35 per cent), and the
hotel website in Russian
(34 per cent) and hoteliers
have more catching up
to do in this area. Russian
newspapers and magazines
were deemed less necessary
(17 per cent).
Smoking rooms were also
still a key concern recognised
by 44 per cent.
Russians seem to be quite
happy to sample the local
cuisine with only 23 per
cent requesting Russian
beverages, 15 per cent
Russian room service options
and 14 per cent Russian food
such as borsch in general.

17.
Facilities that hotels already offer their Russian guests or are planning on offering
14

18.
5. Where Russian
travellers go
15
Looking at Hotels.com’s
own data from its Hotel
Price Index™ for the first
half of 2013, the chart of
the most popular overseas
destinations for Russian
travellers was an eclectic
mix of short and longhaul
favourites with winners and
losers close to home and
farther afield.
down three to No 14, Milan
down two to No 7,
Munich also down two
to No 12 with Prague and
Vienna both slipping one
to Nos 5 and 8 respectively.
Helsinki was another new
entrant at No 17.
There were three US cities
on the leaderboard but their
popularity was on the wain.
New York was down two to
No 6, Miami lost four to
No 18 and Los Angeles left
the table. However, Las
Vegas was a newcomer
at No 20, showing the
growing interest in gambling
overseas.
Europe was by far the most
popular region, holding 14 of
the Top 20 slots. Paris held on
to the top spot, Rome moved
up one to take second place
and Madrid shot up the
chart as the highest flying
new entrant at No 3. Three
destinations rose four places:
The rest of the chart was
Barcelona to No 4, Berlin to
taken by Asian destinations.
No 10 and Istanbul to No 13.
Phuket fell two to No 11, Hong
London was up three to
Kong rose one to No 19 and
No 9. Others saw their
Koh Samui came in at No 16.
popularity slide with Riga
Top overseas destinations for Russian travellers Jan - Jun 2013

19.
Destinations with the highest
search increases
Looking to the future,
several Greek destinations
appear in the chart of
destinations showing the
highest percentage growth in
searches on the
Hotels.com Russian site in
the first nine months of 2013,
when compared with the
same period in 2012.
Zakynthos (354 per cent),
Santorini (197 per cent), Kos
(189 per cent) occupy the first
three places with Rhodes
Town and Geropotamos tied
in tenth place (135 per cent)
and Corfu Town at No 17
(108 per cent).
Other beach destinations
feature high up the chart.
Jamaica’s Negril saw a
175 per cent increase, as did
Phan Thiet in Vietnam. The
city’s tourism district of Mui
Ne is a popular destination
for Russian tourists and
many of the restaurants and
resorts are Russian-owned.
Destinations showing the highest percentage increase in searches for Jan-Sep 2013
compared to Jan-Sep 2012
16

20.
6. Where Russian
travellers spend
the most
17
This section looks at the
average prices paid by
Russian travellers for their
hotel accommodation on
the Hotels.com Russian
website during the first six
months of 2013, compared
with the same period in 2012,
according to the Hotels.com
Hotel Price Index for that
period.
At the top of the table, high
occupancy levels and more
upmarket hotels drove the
average price paid in Dubai
up by 27 per cent over this
period to 12,506 RUB.
Emirates is using its new
Airbus A380 super-jumbos
on its daily nonstop service
from Moscow to the
Emirate which is helping to
encourage more visitors.
Prices in second-place
Geneva have traditionally
been high as around 70 per
cent of visits are businessrelated but the average
dropped 18 per cent to
9,786 RUB during this time as
occupancy fell. In third place,
New York has long been
the US destination where
Russian travellers paid the
most and the start of the
year saw a further rise in
its average of five per cent,
taking it to 7,151 RUB.
Rates paid in the Top 20
destinations fall away quite
rapidly further down the table
with popular destinations
such as Barcelona offering a
good value 4,535 RUB, Kiev
just higher on 4,602 RUB and
Rome on 4,841 RUB.
Bridge of Sighs - Venice, Italy

22.
7. Country initiatives
Brazil
In line with most of South
America, Russian travellers to
Brazil have not needed a visa
since 2008 and can stay for
90 days for tourism, business
or study. The country is keen
to make the most of its time
in the global spotlight with
the World Cup in 2014 and
the Olympic Games in 2016.
Russian travellers are
a particular focus as they are
associated with higher levels
of spend.
China
19
According to the China
Tourism Bureau, for the first
six months of 2013, more
than a million Russians
visited China, ranking them
first among European
tourists by some margin
and fourth overall behind
South Korea, Japan and
the USA. The China-Russia
Tourism Year programme,
which began in 2012 with the
Tourism Year of Russia in
China, aims to foster tourism
ties and exchanges between
the two countries.

23.
Finland
20
Russia has consistently
been the No. 1 country for
both inbound visitors and
registered overnight stays
in Finland for some years
and, in 2012, recorded
3.6 million visitors. Despite
sharing a border, Finland
still requires Russian visitors
to have a visa to enter the
country. Plans to relax this
requirement are closely tied
to plans of modifying visa
requirements between the
EU and Russia. Complete
visa freedom is not likely
before 2018 but Finland has
already set up a committee
to prepare for the change.
Nearly 80 per cent of Russian
visitors to Finland arrive from
the nearby St. Petersburg
area. Travel agencies have
reported a decrease in
demand, yet visa applications
to the Finnish consulate are
on the rise, pointing to the
fact that Russian travellers
are making their plans
increasingly independently
with the help of the internet.
One reason for the growing
number of Russian visitors is
the renewed rail connection
between St. Petersburg and
Helsinki. The Allegro trains,
introduced to the route in
December 2010, replaced
older trains and cut down
the travel time from 5½ hours
to 3½ hours.
The official
visitfinland.com has
organised a social media
campaign targeting
Russian visitors during
2013, aiming to encourage
friend recommendations by
satisfied Russian travellers.
In addition, they are planning
on boosting the 2013/14
winter season through radio
advertising, with a focus on
the Moscow area.

24.
Germany
21
The number of Russian
travellers to Germany has
increased from 1.2 million in
2009 to 2.3 million in 2012.
The German government
has recently made a few
important changes to
the visa requirements for
Russian visitors (German
Schengen-Visa). The process
has been outsourced to an
external service provider
to make the programme
quicker and more efficient
for Russian travellers. Visa
applicants no longer need
to have personal interviews
with the authorities and
don’t have to hand their
application in personally.
This can be done by another
authorised person, saving
time and inconvenience.
Hong Kong
Since 2009, there has been
mutual visa-free access to
the nationals of the Russian
Federation and permanent
residents of the Hong Kong
SAR for a stay of up to
14 days. Thanks in part to
these arrangements, in 2012,
there was an increase of
41 per cent in arrivals from
Russia. During 2013, the
Hong Kong Tourist Board
extended its promotional
activity beyond Moscow to St
Petersburg, Siberia and the
Far East with the objective of

25.
drawing Russian visitors to
Hong Kong during the winter,
a popular travel season for
Russians. Numbers have
also been boosted by the
increased flight capacity
between Hong Kong and
Vladivostok. Capitalising
on the new visa-free
arrangement for Russian
residents introduced by the
Macau AR Government, the
HKTB is working with the
Macau Government Tourist
Office to promote Hong KongMacau itineraries to Russian
consumers.
India
22
In October 2013, the Indian
government introduced
several new measures
including extending its visa
on arrival programme to
40 countries including Russia.
An Indian Tourism Office
has opened in Moscow as
a move towards increasing
the flow of Russian tourists
to India. Russians presently
constitute the largest
contingent of charter tourists
to Goa, with around
600 flights from Russia
arriving annually, helping
to fill the gaps left by a fall
in number of visitors from
Europe. However, Russian
tourists increasingly venture
beyond the traditional
destinations to places such
as Kerala, Orissa, Ladakh, and
the Andaman Islands.

26.
Norway
There are no plans to relax
visa requirements for Russian
travellers to Norway but the
Norwegian government is
funding Innovation Norway’s
marketing campaigns in the
country. Russia has been a
23
focus market for the last five
years and Innovation Norway
is now working on four
different campaigns focusing
on summer fjords, fishing
trips, family ski holidays and
the Northern Lights.
Singapore
Visa requirements for holders
of diplomatic and official
passports are being lifted,
which will help to pave
the way towards greater
connectivity and ease of
travel between Russia and
Singapore. According to the
Singapore Tourism Board,
around 70,000 Russians
visited Singapore in 2012, a
record number, up 16 per cent
on the previous year and a
significant increase from only
12,000 visitors 10 years ago.
Singapore is also home to
an estimated 5,000-strong
Russian-speaking expatriate
community.

27.
Spain
24
According to the Institute of
Tourism Studies of Spain,
inbound tourism from Russia
exceeded one million visitors
in 2012 for the first time.
During the first half of 2013,
more than half a million
Russian tourists visited Spain,
which is 34 per cent more
than the same period in 2012.
The increase is attributed
to more nonstop flights,
relaxed visa rules and the
growing interest in Russia’s
middle-class in taking foreign
holidays.
Earlier on this year, a new
visa office opened in Moscow
and the visa process was
streamlined. In the past,
applications could take a
month but this timeframe
has now been shortened to
five days. Multiple entry visas
also mean that Russian
travellers can visit the
country several times in one
year.
This growth represents an
important boost for the
country’s tourism economy,
particularly as the number of
visitors from more traditional
European markets fell
during the economic crisis.
Russians seek out the sun
and sand destinations on the
Mediterranean, particularly
Catalonia.

29.
9. How Hotels.com is
adapting to the
Russian market
Recognising the growing
importance of the Russian
travel market, Hotels.com
launched a Russian website
in 2006, initially with simplified
localisation. Over the last few
years, we have continuously
improved the site and
customers have said that the
look and feel make it relevant
and easy to use.
26
• In 2010, we started
focussing on improving
the product and
penetrating the Russian
market.
• In 2011, we introduced
Russian-speaking
call centre support
and launched a local
newsletter dedicated to
Russian customers.
• In 2012, we launched
a social presence in
Vkontakte and Facebook,
becoming the biggest
travel communities in
both by end of the year.
Hotels.com also won
the Best Booking Engine
category in the inaugural
Moya Planeta awards and
was shortlisted in the
Best Mobile App section.
• In 2013, Hotels.com
became the first travel
site to introduce detailed
local grammar to localise
the site to Russian users
yet further. We also
introduced two alternative
payment methods
specifically for Russian
customers – Yandex
Money and Webmoney